Data communication via light-based sources generally involves the modulation of light between a light source and a detector (e.g., a photodiode). The modulation is structured in such a way as to represent coded information. For example, a pulse of light emitted by the light source during an interval of time may represent a binary one (“1”), and the absence of light during a subsequent time interval may represent a binary zero (“0”). In another example, shifts in the frequency or polarity of the light can represent coded information. The sequence of detected light pulses, or lack thereof, may then be decoded and converted into a meaningful piece of information according to some predefined coding scheme. Information coded by such a data communication method is similar in form to information transmitted over other types of media (e.g., electronic, acoustic, radio, etc.), which generally require an active source of power. However, such techniques are not suitable for applications where a power source is not available, is not cost effective or where the supply of power is limited and therefore must be conserved.